Gravetye Manor

Gravetye Manor

Company type	Private
Industry	Hospitality
Founded	1598
Founder	Richard Infield
Headquarters	East Grinstead , England, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom
Key people	Jeremy Hosking (current leaseholder), Mark Raffan (former chef)
Products	Hotel accommodation, restaurant services

Gravetye Manor is an historic manor house situated close to East Grinstead, in West Sussex, England. Once the residence of renowned landscape gardener William Robinson, it now functions as a hotel and restaurant, holding a one-star accolade in the Michelin Guide as of 2020. The manor itself is designated as a Grade I listed building on the National Heritage List for England, while its gardens receive a Grade II* classification on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

History

Constructed in 1598, this Elizabethan residence was originally built by Richard Infield, an ironmaster. William Robinson, famed for his work The English Flower Garden, inhabited the manor from 1884 until 1935. During his tenure, he commissioned Sir Ernest George to enlarge the house and cultivated its distinguished gardens. After Robinson's era, the estate was transferred to the Forestry Commission and served as accommodation for Canadian troops during World War II, subsequently falling into neglect.

Country house hotel

In 1958, the property was leased by partners Robin Howard and restaurateur Peter Herbert, who converted it into a 17-bedroom country house hotel. Herbert, recognized as an innovator in this field, undertook restoration of Robinson’s original 52-acre gardens—upheld with an annual maintenance budget of £50,000—and created a Michelin-starred kitchen garden. Over four decades under Herbert’s stewardship, Gravetye Manor gained status as one of Britain’s premier hotels.

The business changed hands in 2004 when Herbert sold it to Andrew Russell and chef Mark Raffan. Following financial difficulties during the Great Recession, the hotel entered administration in early 2010. Subsequently, investor and long-time patron Jeremy Hosking acquired the lease and has since invested approximately £2.5 million in refurbishing both the property and its gardens. Hosking also engaged architect Sir Charles Knowles to design a new restaurant structure that fills the courtyard space. The gardens continue to be a significant feature and remain open to visitors staying at the hotel.

External links

• William Robinson. Gravetye Manor: or, twenty years' work round an old manor house. 1911. Digital copy on the Royal Horticultural Society's Digital Collections website